Ghosts of Berkeley Past: Thanksgiving on Telegraph

I always get this weird flashback when I’m walking down Telegraph Avenue on Thanksgiving day. Back in the Good Old Days I used to always meet up with my pals Duncan and Vince at this Telegraph Avenue coffee shop every Thanksgiving. Joint called the Wall Berlin. The Wall Berlin was one of the few coffee shops that was open on Thanksgiving. So it became kind of an annual holiday tradition for the three of us. I can still picture us sitting there at our table outside the café, quietly sipping on our coffee and talking about our plans for the holiday.

So now, today, on Thanksgiving 2015, as I’m walking down Telegraph Avenue . . . . For a split-second . . . I think I’m headed to the Wall Berlin for coffee with Duncan and Vince . . . Just like I always used to . . . It just sort of flashes across the screen of my mind out of nowhere. Like a Pavlov’s Dog reaction or something . . .

But then I’ll remember. Duncan and Vince aren’t here anymore. And neither is the Wall Berlin for that matter. Now it’s an Asian restaurant. That, according to the sign out front, sells “American Food.” . . . I’m not sure about the concept of that one. Ha ha.